


We'll Go Together In Flight

by BugTongue



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe - Age of Sail, Illustrated, M/M, Moderate To Excessive Description Of Swordfights, Supernatural Elements, Trans Kurapika, Unresolved Sexual Tension, What gender is Kurapika? We just don't know, kurokuraweek2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-16
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-08-24 08:44:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16636670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BugTongue/pseuds/BugTongue
Summary: Kurapika and Chrollo cross paths on the open ocean and duke it out, their scuffle on the deck of The Phoenix cut short by the appearance of the British Navy. They must work together to escape hanging and live to cross blades another day.Written for the 2018 KrKr week challenge, Day 5: "trust/risk"





	We'll Go Together In Flight

**Author's Note:**

> Art by the wonderful Zupi [zzzzzztupid.tumblr.com], I have never been more grateful in my whole life.
> 
> I hope you're all used to my AU's because I've got another one for ya, this time with even more bullshit than the last! Western AU was my big soul project but this one comes pretty close so I hope it's fun for anyone who read it too. Let me know what you liked and what you might have liked me to get into more/instead!
> 
> Title from "Dream Sweet in Sea Major" by Miracle Musical

“So blast a hole in their starboard, just because they wasted a shot over our deck doesn't mean we have to give the same courtesy!” Kurapika’s crew was already at their stations, already prepping the cannons, already moving out of his way as he strode across the deck to a better position with which to spy his enemy across the waves.

The Phantom sat low in the water, her sails already being drawn up, furled against their masts so Kurapika couldn’t have them shredded to pieces. He wasn’t focused on sails, however, he wanted to watch the main mast fall and cleave the entire ship in two, and failing that it would do his heart some good to see a gaping hole in their side. He collapsed his spyglass against his chest when he found himself being watched, and then waved at by the other captain.

“Prick.” Kurapika slipped his spyglass into one of multiple pockets adorning his jacket, an article of clothing better described as a few drapes sewn together and beaten to hell. He was distinctly grateful that privateers were not considered navy nor subject to their rules of dress and composure.

The sea erupted into a shower of glittering droplets, spraying every inch of Kurapika above the gunwale with a fine mist as a cannonball from The Phantom hit the water in front of his ship.

“Ready, captain!” The team closest to him hollered for his go-ahead, the newest of his crew.

“Aim it a little higher, like that yes. Fire!” The cannonball sailed through the air and this time made contact--splintering wood and sending rigging flying into the air to tangle together as it crashed through the gunwale and across the deck. Kurapika couldn’t be sure, but he thought he saw someone go overboard as well. Good riddance.

When they ran out of cannonballs to launch from either ship, there was a stillness of the world for only a moment. Fog rolling in from Kurapika’s stern began to obscure his view until it forced him to grab onto the rigging and hauled himself up to get above it, pulling the glass out once again and squinting through the whirling droplets that refracted light every which way, ebbing and flowing in its own drift separate from the motion of the waves. When The Phantom flickered back into view it’s sails were full and it was moving in swiftly. Kurapika cursed under his breath and dropped to the deck, shouting for his crew to arm themselves for boarding.

In his time as a privateer, and before that as a child living under bridges after his family died, Kurapika had learned to wield and carry all sorts of weapons, from throwing stars of the east to swords of the west, military rifles and even a blunderbuss at one point in his maritime career. When Chrollo stepped on board The Phoenix, Kurapika wasted no time in drawing the scimitar at his side and holding it out in warning, body temperature rising in anger as the pirate simply smiled at the threat. “What a rude welcome, I was sure you had better manners than this.”

“Surrender now and you might survive to step foot on land again.” Kurapika advanced, his steps sure but careful as he crossed the space between them. Chrollo looked at the point of his sword before drawing his own--a shiny, silver flambard rapier he certainly didn’t own the last time they’d met. He spun it once over the point of his knuckle, dark eyes glittering. Their crews spread across the deck and seemed to fold into each other as the scuffles began, opting to give the two of them room to sort things out despite the inconvenient position they were in. Kurapika forwent any flashy air cutting in favor of rushing forward to meet Chrollo’s blade with a downward swing, one that Chrollo would anticipate of course, but if he left it to the pirate to begin this fight he’d lose his upper hand. He spun in his heel to take his previous attack and turn in into a second, and then a third, his footwork quick and tight. It was necessary in order to keep up with the complex dance Chrollo was doing with his much lighter blade, focused less on meeting Kurapika’s strikes and more on deflecting them enough to get under his guard before Kurapika could dodge.

The cut to Kurapika’s arm was negligible, but enough to make Chrollo smirk with his small victory. “Do you realize that if you turn me in, you’ll hang beside me on the platform?”

“Don't be absurd, I haven’t done anything I wasn't permitted. Unlike you, thief.”

“Are you sure about that? They’ve been revoking letters left and right, last I heard.” Kurapika’s blade slid off one of the small curves along the side of Chrollo’s rapier, so he allowed it to slide down the uneven length to cut back up and slash through the fabric of Chrollo’s armpit. He was trying to take the entire arm off, but drawing blood was good enough for now. It was enough to see the look on his enemy’s face shift from amusement to concentration, their motions becoming heavier as the battle moved on from first blood to actual apprehension or death.

“I’ll take my chances. I’ll gladly be hanged beside you if it means you’re hanged at all.” He waited for Chrollo’s guard to lax even a fraction, but it didn’t seem to waver at all as they continued. So, he took the opportunity presented as both their swords moved sideways against each other to punch Chrollo in the jaw with his non-dominant fist, reveling in the bruise that was sure to form on both their flesh. Chrollo took a step backwards, then planted his other foot against the deck as his body continued to tilt backwards, jaw raised as he looked at Kurapika as if waking up. Then his eyes slid out of focus and he tilted his head as if to look behind Kurapika.

“It seems we have company.”

“Then you’d better get serious about this.”

Kurapika lunged, thrusting into the space where Chrollo’s gut would have been had he not jumped backwards again, grabbing the railing of the gunwale to push himself to the side, running around Kurapika until he could dash forward and meet Kurapika’s back swing. His swing knocked the scimitar into going too far and making Kurapika twist to regain his trajectory, then tumble across the deck as Chrollo’s boot made solid contact with his hip.

“Fall back! Get back to the ship before the Navy gets within range!” Chrollo’s crew rushed back to the boarding planks, but Kurapika grabbed a hold of Chrollo’s jacket before he could get very far, hauling him down to the boards.

“I don’t damn well think so,” Kurapika hissed, grabbing the front of the man’s shirt as they rolled, punching him across the face when he came to rest on top. His second blow was thwarted and his wrist yanked the wrong way until he winced, eyes closed long enough for Chrollo to get a solid hit in of his own. His hand closed around Kurapika’s windpipe next, using that as leverage to flip their positions but leaving him wide open for the multiple weapons aimed at his skull and chest; swords and guns alike.

The first mate swam into view as Kurapika struggled to rip Chrollo’s arm away, mouth set in a thin, worried line as usual. “Chrollo, you’re under arrest for the massacre of the extended Kurta family, as well as a whole list of shit I really don’t feel like wasting my breath on. Put your hands up.” Chrollo’s eyes slid down to meet Kurapika’s, clearly weighing his options and whether he’d rather kill Kurapika now on his way out. For a second it seemed the whites of his eyes had gone the color of spilled ink, but it was gone a moment later. Thankfully however, he didn’t get the chance to finish deciding as one of the midshipmen slammed the hilt of his sword into the back of Chrollo’s skull hard enough to send him forward, slumped over Kurapika’s torso until his head met the deck. Kurapika gasped for air as the hand around his throat finally loosened, and he shoved Chrollo’s unconscious form to the side.

It was only for a moment that Kurapika was able to take in the visual of Chrollo’s dark hair across the bleached wood with his expression entirely slack before the Naval ship once distant on the horizon now drew near enough to signal for boarding. Suddenly, Chrollo’s warning about a potentially revoked letter of marque niggled at the back of his mind. His first mate helped him to his feet and gave him a look that wordlessly assured him responsibility would be shared, should things get grim.

“Thank you, Bill. Please secure the prisoner while I deal with company.” He looked over the other side of the ship to see The Phantom already disappearing into another bout of fog, abandoning her captain to the winds of fate. Wise, but irritating. Kurapika took a breath and picked his ribbon up off the deck where it had come loose and fluttered free, tying his hair back with it once more. If he was to be apprehended with his catch, he would at least be as put-together as he could manage.

As the other ship drew up close to The Phoenix, the ship’s doctor finally made his way through the crew to look over their captain. His handling was gentle as he looked at the thin but not quite superficial cut to Kurapika’s arm, then checked the bruises to his face and throat. “Well, nothing that’ll kill you but you should scrub that arm just in case.”

“I don’t really have time for that.”

“I’m sure if you really felt like keeping the arm, you could make time.” Leorio smirked despite the tension in his shoulder, brow too creased for nonchalance.

“I’ll be fine, thank you.” Kurapika softened his tone before putting a hand on Leorio’s chest and leaving him to finish his rounds with the crew, ignoring the sensation of eyes on him as he stood at attention for the officer stepping aboard his ship. “My name is Kurapika and I’m the captain of this vessel. I have apprehended the criminal at large, Chrollo Lucifer, and intend to bring him ashore so justice may be exacted.”

The officer looked around the deck, taking in the furled sails and the blood, the lack of any other ship in the area. “It appears you allowed the rest of his crew to escape.”

Kurapika’s cheek twitched, fists clenching at the small of his back. “I was busy with their captain.”

“And your crew?”

“This is not a military ship, Admiral. They did what they were capable of doing and they did it well.” He did not manage to withhold his distaste as the officer stepped closer and gave him an unimpressed lift of the brow.

“Kurapika, was it? Odd that you should be out here playing lawman considering there’s a warrant for you as well.” Ah, so it seemed Chrollo wasn’t lying. He supposed there was a first time for everything, eyes sliding shut as he sighed.

“Then arrest me, you can read the charges once we’re aboard your ship. I don’t really care as long as this man is taken along with me.”

“Rest assured you’ll both be brought to the mainland to be sorted out correctly. I’ll allow you to direct your crew to handle your absence, but be quick about it.” The officer waved for his men to escort Chrollo to the other ship and for another two to remain posted near Kurapika’s cabin as he spoke with Bill and a few others, informing them that he may see them at port in the future but not to depend on his return.

“Do not mount some hair-brained rescue, but do follow at a distance until we get to shore. If this all gets sorted out properly I’d like to be able to get back to hunting The Phantom’s crew. And if they do end up hanging me you’ll all know right away rather than weeks or months down the road.”

“Please try not to get hanged.” Bill ran his fingers up through the back of his hair, making it stand even further on end than usual. He’d do well as acting captain but he probably wouldn’t enjoy it long enough to stay if Kurapika died.

Kurapika smiled, taking the spyglass out of his coat along with most of his weapons, save for the knife in the bottom of his shoe, and set them on his desk. “I’ll certainly give it my best effort. Don’t allow the middies to bring the main mast down on everyone’s heads.”

Once he changed the chain of command aboard The Phoenix, he allowed the officer’s men to walk him one afore and one aft across onto the other ship, arms at his side and not in shackles or tied with rope the way Chrollo had been. An amicable (if situational) surrender seemed to be the right decision for now.

He still wound up in the same place; a small jail cell with his now-unbound criminal catch. Kurapika stayed at his end of the cell with his back to the wall, arms crossed and Chrollo in full view in front of him. He'd thought Chrollo might want a round two of their brawl, but instead the man seemed content to mirror Kurapika's positioning at the other end of their cell, the only difference being that he linked fingers in his lap. He looked bored already.

“You know we'll both die if you don't work with me.” Chrollo's tone was cool, his facial features partially obscured by the way the lanterns flickered on the walls, and Kurapika ignored the anxiety curling in his guts at the memory of those eyes going pitch black. It had been the oxygen deprivation, nothing more.

“That's a risk I'm willing to take, although a revoked permission doesn't mean I've actually broken the law in a way punishable by death.”

“They'd rather see you hang than admit any error on their part, don't be foolish.”

Kurapika sneered, the grip on his arms tightening. “Feeling mortal fear, Chrollo? Maybe I should admit to colluding with you from the beginning, I'll be able to make sure we both swing in that case.”

The room fell quiet after that, shadows flickering across the room in a way that changed Chrollo's shape in unnerving ways, to the point it was a relief when someone else entered the room to check on the two of them.

“Alright you two, quit bickering. You,” he gestured to Kurapika. “I was told you're seaworthy and cooperative, stand up so I can be the judge of that.”

Kurapika spared one last glance at Chrollo, then stood up and placed one hand on his hip. He was interested in getting out of this stifling room but he wasn't sure how comfortable he was with the way the sailor was eyeing him. “I'm not sure what you hope to glean in this lighting, or at all really. It would be easier to prove my skill topside.”

“I was more curious about whether you're all that safe to be keeping on board at all.” Oh boy. Kurapika resisted the urge to roll his eyes but he could d nothing about the lowering on his lids.

“Care to elaborate?”

“Well, it being bad luck to have a woman aboard and all.” The sailor smiled, his beard hiding most aspects of his face. Kurapika tilted his head and unbuttoned his coat, glancing at Chrollo again as the other laughed, but then quieted down.

“You still won't be able to tell in this lighting, come over here and get some reliable proof.” Kurapika reached up and unbuttoned his collar next, taking the nervous energy from before and condensing it into a solid ball of bright anger he could focus on to stay calm.

“... Yeah, I suppose you have a point there.” The sailor hesitated only for another breath, then walked over quicker than he'd entered the room. Kurapika could feel his cellmate’s eyes burning a hole in the side of his head as the man approached, but he kept his own eyes on the face of the sailor, waiting until fingertips brushed the open lapel of his shirt before grabbing a hold of the man's beard and yanking his face harshly against the bars. A small snap and the sensation of blood dripping onto his hand made him retract it back into the cell as the sailor shouted a curse, reaching in after him as if to return the favor or worse. “Son of a bitch! Come back here, damn you!”

“You're not very good at making friends,” Chrollo crowed from the darkness, lamplight glittering off his teeth and the silver and gold details of his jacket.

“You shut up, demon! You're worse luck than he is.” The words only made Chrollo hum in amusement, which was in combination with the broken nose enough to send their visitor back out of the room with the slam of a door. Kurapika's gaze was drawn towards those flickering shadows once more as he did his buttons back up.

“Seems you aren't too popular yourself. I find it almost reassuring that perfect strangers think you're a monster as well.” His fingers out of anything to do settled on holding his jacket closed, watching as Chrollo shrugged and got to his feet in order to pace the cell once and feel the lock on their cell.

“I've done a lot of socially unacceptable things, it's only natural. Human beings fear that which they don't understand.”

“I'm sure it has nothing to do with the brutal murders, of course,” Kurapika scoffed. “What exactly are you doing?”

“Seeing if I could pick this lock. I don't believe I can but I may be able to kick the entire thing open. If I fail, however, I will fail loudly and someone else will come down to investigate.”

“Please refrain.”

They did receive another visit shortly after the last, although not for any breakout attempts. It was the admiral this time, and he looked rather peeved to be doing this at all. “You, Kurapika, I wanted you topside half an hour ago why are you still in the cell?”

“You're fetch dog didn't seem to like me very much, he never let me out.” Kurapika pushed off from the wall he had been leaning against, arms uncrossing as well.

“I see, regardless you're able hands and unlike your friend here, I believe you'll do just fine working on a king’s ship.” He unlocked the door, staring Chrollo down in case he tried anything funny, and locked the door once Kurapika was outside of the cage. Despite the sudden measurable distance between them, Kurapika felt pinned by the look Chrollo gave him, enough that even as they left the jail room, Kurapika found himself glancing over his shoulder for one last second of eye contact.

The door shut, and the work began.

The sun was already making its descent into the horizon, glaring directly into Kurapika's face when he needed to turn towards the west. Nothing outside of the ordinary but this ship was built differently from his beloved Phoenix, with different curves and sails and walls, different people moving in different ways. It limited his way of avoiding being occasionally blinded by the sun and left him with a headache that made eating dinner in the mess with the sailors impossible. He had worked hard, having removed his jacket partway through his shift even due to the heat, but now he was unable to replenish his energy.

When the admiral caught his eye, Kurapika found himself beckoned into the hallway away from the noise, taking him through the interior of the ship. “Sleeping arrangements still need to be worked out for you, the men have all made their own hammocks so we don’t exactly have any extras to spare. You could sleep on the ground, but I feel that would be inhospitable of me as well as reflect poorly on the navy at large.” Kurapika refrained from making any sly comments about the impeccably stainless record of the British navy, choosing instead to reach up and rub his mouth.

“I’m surprised you trust me enough to ask my opinion, given I’m still a prisoner after all.”

“A cooperative prisoner who isn’t known for carnage and discord.”

“Well,” Kurapika began, feeling like he’d missed a step down the stairs as he considered the plan quickly taking root in his mind. “I can’t imagine the floor being very comfortable, and I’m used to sleeping more or less by myself in my own cabin. If you have the space available I would find it amenable to sleep in your quarters or somewhere similar.”

The admiral glanced at him sideways, having to turn his head just slightly to make up for the difference in height and the gloom of the interior of the ship. “I’m sure you would be able to find a comfortable place if you don’t mind sleeping on a glorified bench.”

“I’ve slept in worse places.” A shrug from Kurapika and it was settled. If this failed he would find himself in a lot deeper shit than he was currently wallowing, but he believed Chrollo had a point about the court’s propensity for tying loose ends through capital punishment. There was too much to be done still for Kurapika to die here, and if he timed all of this right he could still get his revenge on Chrollo or at the very least lead him to the rest of his murderous crew. Chrollo would be what he chummed the water with to get the rest of his crew, but first he needed to get this hunt back on his own terms before things got out of hand.

Sleeping in the admiral’s quarters was, maybe, slightly less comfortable than he’d anticipated. Kurapika took a blanket and a pillow and laid down on the couch which was sandwiched between a desk and a bookshelf, fully dressed except for the removal of his shoes and the jacket he’d tied around his waist. From his vantage he had to pretend he couldn’t see the admiral dressing down and grooming himself in the mirror. Kurapika supposed he should brush his hair sometime soon before it got so bad he’d need to cut it again, but he’d rather blend into the background until lights out. He closed his eyes, only to crack them open again at the scent of alcohol. The admiral appeared to have contraband aboard the ship and was pouring himself a small glass of it, as well as a second.

“You must be anxious, you were acting under the pretense of having the law of your side. I’m sure you don’t need to worry too much. In fact, if you’d like I could put in a word for you.” He held the glass out for Kurapika to take, seeming rather disappointed when it remained there.

“Sorry, I don’t drink. It’s also been a long day, I would prefer to discuss this when the sun comes up,” He paused. “If that’s alright with you.”

“Ah, I see. Yes, tomorrow then.” He drank the offered glass, then tucked it away into a cabinet to nurse the glass he poured for himself while reading in his bunk. How fortuitous, Kurapika thought, that this man would so kindly knock himself out with an extra dose tonight. He waited for the admiral to turn his lamp out and send the cabin into a thick, blue darkness lit only by starlight reflected off the porthole, then he waited to hear his breathing even out, his shifting to stop as sleep claimed him.

When it seemed like long enough not to wake the admiral up, Kurapika rolled silently off the bench. He slipped his shoes onto his feet, draped his jacket over his arm, and then set about to find the ring of keys he knew would hold the one for the jail below deck. The floor beneath him was new and sturdy, beautifully muffled by a decorative rug as well, and so the only sound he truly needed to be wary of was the metal-on-metal as he picked the keys up off the desk and slipped them inside his pants against his pelvis where his skin would keep them mostly in place.

Out of the cabin and into the darkness of the hull, Kurapika kept his steps light and his ears intent on any sign of movement from what would either be the first watch or crew members getting up to relieve themselves. He could claim restlessness if caught, but if he was searched for any reason then the jig would be up and he’d have to resort to claiming he was attempting to murder the prisoner and try to sway the admiral. It would be even more uncomfortable to fail, so he supposed he ought to get this right the first time.

Kurapika found the door to the jail room, and carefully tried the handle. It opened, allowing him inside to see the room was lit by only one lamp now. He suspected the vaguely humanoid shape slumped against the darker side of the cell should be Chrollo, a suspicion that was proven correct when Chrollo lifted his head to face him. Kurapika thought he saw something spade-like and dark brush across the floor beneath the hem of Chrollo’s coat, and he was distracted enough to freeze in place, staring with wide eyes.

“Isn’t it a little late for visitors?” The sleep-soft voice hardly pushed through the silence of the room, but it was enough to shake Kurapika from his shock, allowing him to blame exhaustion and stress once again.

“I’ve come to give you one chance to be useful, on the condition we settle this afterwards.” He pulled the key ring out of his waistband and began flipping through the keys, trying each one in the lock with steady, economic movements.

“So you don’t trust them either.” Kurapika looked up to glare the man into silence, this time unable to ignore the darkness of his sclera, the rustle at the edge of his coat’s hem. Perhaps ‘demon’ was more the truth than an insult. He moved closer to the bars, reaching one hand out and picking on of the keys, sliding it to the top of the ring as Kurapika stared at him openly. “This one might work better.”

The key slid into the lock, turned, and with a click it was open.

Chrollo drifted into the door, pushing it open and Kurapika back as he moved. He reached out, palm sliding behind Kurapika’s shoulder to pull him closer until it seemed that a breath from one was the exhalation of the other. The barred door slipped from Kurapika’s grasp as Chrollo’s other hand slid up his neck to cup his jaw, tilting his head into a kiss that vividly contrasted the softer movements of his body with the cool press of his lips.

It was not within the realm of possibilities for Kurapika, and thus for one blissful moment all he could focus on was the sensation of touch he had deprived himself of for the duration of his quest. If he didn’t have time for someone’s feelings then how could he lay any claim on their body or bed? The wasn’t to say he didn’t want, viciously, that he didn’t catch himself staring at the doctor with his sleeves rolled up or think back on his enemy’s hair splayed across the deck of his ship. Tongue briefly teased at the line of his lips and suddenly he surged forward against the other, hands grabbing at his upper arms to haul him in close as he delved into the lukewarm mouth presented to him. His grasping hands moved higher until he had one fistful of hair and the other firmly anchored in the fabric between Chrollo’s shoulder blades.

The last thing he needed was the pulsation of desire shooting down below the belt, and that was enough the jolt him out of his momentary insanity. His extreme lapse in judgement. Kurapika groaned as Chrollo sucked his lower lip between hungry teeth, eyes fluttering open again to watch as curling blue smoke puffed out of each nostril, and then his mouth as he parted his lips again to claim another kiss. The room suddenly slamming back into full clarity, Kurapika sunk his teeth hard into Chrollo’s tongue, going so far as to tug on the flesh until dark eyes flew open again and nails much sharper than the average man dug into Kurapika’s skin in retaliation.

They parted with the struggle for air in a too-enclosed room, the key ring jingling softly as Kurapika’s heel nudged it where it had fallen to the ground. It was Chrollo who spoke first, “That was my thanks.”

“Keep it, devil.” Kurapika brushed his hair out of his face, then took the ribbon out of his hair entirely to shove it into one of the pockets in his jacket. “Prove your thankfulness by helping me disable the captain and claim this ship, we’ll need to put all the officers aboard the ship in this cell if we want to pull this off.”

“Or send them overboard, allowing them to live only leaves credible witnesses.”

Kurapika reached up to wipe his mouth with the back of his hand, eyes finally leaving Chrollo’s face to look towards the door. “I won't kill anyone if I can help it, and I’d prefer it if you reigned in your incessant murderous indulgence. Just… Apprehend them, break bones if you must but refrain from ending any lives.”

Chrollo shook his head, the laugh that rumbled out of his throat followed by more of that deep blue smoke that seemed to come from an undersea volcano. “You’d better make this worth my time and not hold back when we… settle this later.” The anticipation in his tone was enough to reignite the flame in Kurapika’s heart--the one controlling his actions in battle as easily as they controlled him only moments ago.

“It’s a deal, then.”

**Author's Note:**

> There's more I wanted to do with this, but I had neither the time nor the energy. I hope this was sufficient enough!


End file.
